The Hillcrest Car Show was packed with people coming from all over Texas to experience the different music artists, shop local Chicano vendors, and just vibe in their atmosphere.
It was nostalgic. Isa and I used to come here with our fathers when we were kids and chase each other around the trees, too young to appreciate the beauty of our culture.
The moment Isa is in my line of sight, my heart tightens in my chest. Our eyes meet, hers shifting quickly to the side. I can feel her hesitance, and I’m grateful when she settles on taking the spot behind me in the long line.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey.” It’s a cold greeting, but it’s better than nothing.
“How have you been?”
I hate the way I have to reduce our interaction to general conversation when I want to hold her. When I know I need to apologize, not just for hurting her but for taking so long to man up and talk to her. My pulse picks up at the sight of her eyes cutting through me.
I fucked up.
I want to scream it out loud. Beg her forgiveness by any means, but I respect her too much to make another scene.
“I’m good. We just found out La Pepto Bismol is going to be judged for overall best car.” She smiles.
“That’s great.” I’m happy for her. I know how much it will help her and her family.
The line moves up, and Isa nods for me to move up. I feel like that fourteen-year-old boy again. I’d rather run away than face the thought of her rejecting me.
“Can we talk?” I ask.
“Right here?” she responds, looking around.
“Preferably, but I can also wait if that’s better for you.”
She looks at the long line in front of us and back at me, her eyes giving me the go-ahead. What else were we going to do while we wait? Junior was right, long lines are the best spot to start up conversations.
“I fucked up, Isa. And I have been waiting for weeks to come up with the right words to say to you. But there are no right words, and no apology will fix what I did. I told you I would stand by you when the moment came to tell the world about us, and I did the complete opposite. In that moment, I was not the man you or Junior deserve. But I do love you. I’ve always loved you.”
My hand reaches for hers, and she doesn’t pull away. A mix of anxiety and desperation bounces in my heart. Her gaze softens on me. A moment passes before she speaks, and when she does, I’m filled with relief.
“I think I’ve always loved you, too. I just didn’t realize it until now.” She admits. “It really hurt me when you denied our relationship, but I’ve taken some time to reflect on everything. I know you were put in a difficult position, and in my heart, I know you would never do anything to hurt me or Junior.”
“You both mean the world to me. I haven’t been able to function without you two.”
I pull her into me and embrace her tightly, overwhelmed with joy.
“Just promise me you’ll never leave us, Manny,” she whispers into my neck. “I don’t think I can go through that, and Junior can’t either.”
“Believe me, woman, I can’t handle a life where you don’t exist in it.”
I hug her tightly, nuzzling my nose into the crook of her neck, taking in that sweet, familiar smell of her. I’d waited thirteen years for my chance with this woman. There was no way I was going to let her go. She was mine.
And she was worth the wait.
EPILOGUE- ISABEL
Put a finger down if you got proposed to at the Carne Asada
1 year later
The Texas heat is barely manageable, but it’s Sunday, and Sundays mean time for family. Since moving in with Manny, our Sunday cookouts have doubled in attendance. My family blended in with his, as well as with my new coworkers and clients of Manny’s, who received the Carne Asada invite.
Junior and my mom dance in the grass, and it’s like I can feel my father’s presence beside me watching them. I trust that he is somehow proud of me. I know I’m proud of myself. After we won the Hill Crest Car show, I paid off the last of my father’s medical debt. As much as I wanted to sell the car, I couldn’t, so Manny and I started taking it to various car shows across the country. A new hobby that we made into a full family production.
